Pre-season two-a-days always seem to get the most buzz every August, probably because this term is most synonymous with American football. But many athletes – from those who play team and individual sports to everyday gym goers – have done a double workout or split one over the course of a day.

Doing two-a-days helps them to squeeze in extra weight sessions and targeted skill training sessions, allowing athletes to reach performance goals faster while the body acclimates to higher volume or higher intensity training.

Depending on your sport, training, and recovery practices, there are many reasons why two-a-day training can benefit performance. Research shows that two-a-days can:

  • Be an effective way to improve strength in trained individuals lifting weights1
  • Create a better opportunity for muscular hypertrophy and provide nervous system benefits, like better adaptation to exercise2
  • Accelerate the recovery process for a high-volume resistance training session3
  • Improve mitochondrial efficiency4
  • Improve the rate of perceived exertion for a given workload4 – a feeling that the same work is easier to do
  • Help increase movement time for athletes who need more calorie burn
  • Help an athlete’s time management skills 

However, there can be risks to twice-a-day training too, whether you’re an amateur or an elite or professional athlete. Some of the risks include: 

  • Hydration

Research shows 50 percent of athletes aren’t adequately hydrated when beginning a workout, game, or competition.5 This can cause decreases in strength, power, endurance, impaired reaction time and cognitive decision-making, mood swings, temperature dysregulation, cramping, heat stroke, and more. Exercise further induces fluid loss – thus stressing the importance of hydrating before both workouts, maintaining hydration through training, and rehydrating afterward.

  • Exertional rhabdomyolysis

Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is a rare type of muscle injury that can occur when an athlete continues to train past the point of fatigue. ER is a breakdown of skeletal muscle following extreme physical exertion, which can be life-threatening or cause serious damage. Athletes at higher risk for ER include those who are dehydrated, consuming excessive caffeine, consuming certain medications, training in hotter temperatures, or those without appropriate rest or nutrition.6

  • Not enough nutrition 

Relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S) is when an athlete doesn’t get enough nutrition – calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients – to meet the demands of their sport and everyday lifestyle. Often this is unintentional and can be because of exercise timing or volume. RED-S can lead to negative issues with metabolism, bone health, immune function, and reproductive health. RED-S can increase risk for overtraining or cardiovascular or psychological health concerns.7   

  • Increasing workload too quickly

Being undertrained and increasing workload or volume too quickly can increase the risk for a soft tissue injury.8 Even trained athletes who are under-recovering can see an increased risk of overuse injuries, or in the case of contact sports an increased risk of a contact-related injury can occur with a higher volume of contact training.9

If two-a-days are in your future, then be sure you have a plan for pre-, during, and post-workout nutrition, and give extra consideration to the following four NSF Certified for Sport nutritional supplements:

1. Pre-Workout Elite

Two-a-days often start in the early morning, following an overnight fast where the body hasn’t had nutrients or water in up to 12 hours. It is especially important to think about getting blood flowing to the muscles that will be active and prepping the brain for quick decision-making and reactions to movements. A pre-workout supplement helps prime the body for the work ahead.

Thorne’s Pre-Workout Elite is a great pre-exercise supplement for the athlete doing two-a-days, whether it is a strength, power, endurance, or mental-focused session. The ingredients support improved blood flow to help working muscles, boost the body’s natural ability to make energy, maintain exercise capacity for prolonged time-to-exhaustion, and promote muscle strength and power.* Pre-Workout Elite supports focus, memory, and cognitive processing so the brain can train too.* With added benefits for recovery and post-workout fatigue, you can prepare for that second workout.*

The guayusa leaf extract provides a natural 70 grams of caffeine (less than the amount in one cup of coffee) and utilizes a patented extraction process that reduces the jitters and side effects common to other caffeine sources. Mix in 10 ounces of water and consume Pre-Workout Elite 15-30 minutes before an exercise session for optimal timing. 

2. Catalyte

Thorne’s Catalyte is the go-to electrolyte powder to help you get into a hydrated state before a workout and maintain hydration during exercise.* Maintaining hydration minimizes the risk of dehydration-related injuries or performance decrements. Start by reading these tips for hydrating properly before, during, and after a workout.

Catalyte’s electrolyte mix is designed to replenish the micronutrients normally lost through sweat during exercise and athletic performance.* Catalyte also includes taurine, a conditionally essential amino acid that supports rehydration at the cellular level.* Studies suggest that an amino acid-electrolyte formula can better increase cellular rehydration compared to formulas without amino acids.*

Catalyte can be consumed before, during, and after your workout. To add more amino acids to the mix to support recovery, Amino Complex Berry or Lemon mixes well, tastes good, and is a blend of essential and branched-chain amino acids.*

3. SynaQuell

Many of the sports doing two-a-days have physical contact during training and gameday – football, rugby, lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, and volleyball, to name a few – with the brain being one of the most vulnerable parts of the body susceptible to injury. Tactical athletes, like military and first responders, are also at risk for a brain injury while on duty. 

Thorne’s SynaQuell is formulated with the best-researched nutrients that support brain health, particularly for individuals involved in contact sports or other high-impact activities.* Key ingredients in SynaQuell, such as beta-hydroxybutyrate provide an important fuel source for both the injured and uninjured brain, enhance cerebral blood flow, resist the damaging effects of oxidative stress, and are neuroprotective.*

Other ingredients in SynaQuell help balance the release of inflammatory cytokines, support mitochondrial function, serve as precursors to important brain neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, and help protect brain cell structure.*

Consistency is key with many supplements. SynaQuell can be safely consumed pre- or post-workout every day, and can be mixed with other complementary powders like Creatine or L-Glutamine.

4. RecoveryPro 

Nighttime is a key nutritional window for athletes to top off their tanks before sleep. It is a last-chance fueling opportunity and should focus on reaching daily calorie and macronutrient levels, promoting muscle repair overnight, and calming the brain for a restful night's sleep.  

Thorne’s RecoveryPro includes ingredients that support athletes and their recovery.* At 140 calories and 13 grams of protein per scoop (with a delicious chocolate flavor), it can be mixed with water (use warm water to make hot chocolate) and be consumed about an hour before bed. It pairs well with Melaton-3 and Multi-Vitamin Elite – two supplements in Thorne’s Sleep Bundle for Athletes – helping to promote a restful night's sleep*, a crucial component of injury prevention in athlete training programs.

Use the above Thorne supplements to build the perfect pre-workout stack or post-workout recovery during your two-a-day sessions.

References

  1. Corrêa DA, Brigatto FA, Braz TV, et al. Twice-daily sessions result in a greater muscle strength and a similar muscle hypertrophy compared to once-daily session in resistance-trained men. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2022;62(3):324-336.
  2. Häkkinen K, Kallinen M. Distribution of strength training volume into one or two daily sessions and neuromuscular adaptations in female athletes. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol 1994;34(2):117-124.
  3. Bartolomei S, Malagoli Lanzoni I, Di Michele R. Two vs. one resistance exercise sessions in one day: Acute effects on recovery and performance. Res Q Exerc Sport 2023;94(1):92-97.
  4. Ghiarone T, Andrade-Souza VA, Learsi SK, et al. Twice-a-day training improves mitochondrial efficiency, but not mitochondrial biogenesis, compared with once-daily training. J Appl Physiol 2019;127(3):713-725.
  5. Osterberg KL, Horswill CA, Baker LB. Pregame urine specific gravity and fluid intake by National Basketball Association players during competition. J Athl Train 2009;44(1):53-57.
  6. EdD ATC. Exertional Rhabdomyolysis in a High School Athlete: A Case Review. 2011;3(5):230-234.
  7. Red-s. Accessed July 13, 2023. https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/red-s
  8. Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Br J Sports Med 2016;50(5):273-280.
  9. Gabbett TJ, Jenkins DG. Relationship between training load and injury in professional rugby league players. J Sci Med Sport 2011;14(3):204-209.